Axis Small Cap Fund vs Kotak Small Cap Fund: Which is Better in 2026? | sharpely

Axis Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth has delivered the higher 3-year CAGR (16.91% vs 13.61%). Kotak Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth is the cheaper of the two with an expense ratio of 0.63% against 0.77%. Axis Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth manages the larger corpus at ₹29.39k Cr. There is no single "better" fund — the right choice depends on your holding period, risk appetite and what you already own. Use the returns, risk and portfolio overlap tables above to judge which fits your portfolio, and remember that past returns do not guarantee future performance.

Over 1 year, Axis Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth returned 9.58% against 5.91% for Kotak Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth; and over 3 years, Axis Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth leads with a 16.91% CAGR versus 13.61%. Returns beyond one year are CAGR (annualised). Short-period returns are heavily influenced by market cycles, so compare over at least three to five years before drawing conclusions.

Kotak Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth has the lower expense ratio at 0.63%, compared with 0.77% for Axis Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth — a difference of 0.14% a year. The expense ratio is deducted from NAV daily, so a lower ratio directly improves your net return, though it should not be the only reason to pick a fund.

Both Axis Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth and Kotak Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth carry a "Very High" rating on the SEBI Riskometer. Within the same riskometer band, differences still show up in maximum drawdown, volatility and market-cap mix — all of which are compared in the tables above.

The portfolio overlap between the two funds is 21.6%, which is considered low. At this level the two funds hold largely different portfolios, so holding both can genuinely diversify your equity exposure. You can see the shared stocks in the overlap section above.

Yes — both are Equity: Small Cap funds, which means they follow similar mandates and are benchmarked against comparable indices. That makes a direct comparison of returns, expense ratio and risk meaningful.

Axis Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth has a NAV of ₹134.42 and an AUM of ₹29.39k Cr, and was launched on 28 Nov 2013. Kotak Small Cap Fund Direct-Growth has a NAV of ₹323.42 and an AUM of ₹18.69k Cr, launched on 31 Dec 2012. NAV on its own says nothing about how expensive or cheap a fund is — only the return on it matters.